Type-Level Operations

Execute FHIR operations on all resources of a specific type.

string

required

The FHIR resource type (e.g., Patient, Observation, Encounter)

string

required

The operation name (e.g., $validate, $everything, $export)

Endpoint

GET /fhir/:resource_type/$:operation
POST /fhir/:resource_type/$:operation

Use GET for operations that only read data, or POST for operations that require input parameters.

Example Request

curl -X POST \
     -H "Content-Type: application/fhir+json" \
     -d '{"resourceType":"Parameters"}' \
     https://your-server.com/fhir/Patient/$validate

POST /fhir/Patient/$validate HTTP/1.1
Host: your-server.com
Content-Type: application/fhir+json

{
  "resourceType": "Parameters",
  ...
}

Common Type Operations

$validate

Validate a resource of this type:

POST /fhir/Patient/$validate
Content-Type: application/fhir+json

{
  "resourceType": "Parameters",
  "parameter": [
    {
      "name": "resource",
      "resource": {
        "resourceType": "Patient",
        "name": [{"family": "Doe"}]
      }
    }
  ]
}

$everything

Get all resources of this type and related resources:

GET /fhir/Patient/$everything

Or with parameters:

POST /fhir/Patient/$everything
Content-Type: application/fhir+json

{
  "resourceType": "Parameters",
  "parameter": [
    {
      "name": "_since",
      "valueDateTime": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z"
    }
  ]
}

$export

Export all resources of this type:

POST /fhir/Patient/$export
Content-Type: application/fhir+json

{
  "resourceType": "Parameters",
  "parameter": [
    {
      "name": "_outputFormat",
      "valueString": "application/fhir+ndjson"
    }
  ]
}

Request Format

Operations use a Parameters resource for input:

{
  "resourceType": "Parameters",
  "parameter": [
    {
      "name": "parameter-name",
      "valueString": "parameter-value"
    },
    {
      "name": "resource",
      "resource": {
        "resourceType": "Patient",
        ...
      }
    }
  ]
}

Response

Success (200 OK)

Returns operation results, typically as a Parameters resource or a Bundle:

{
  "resourceType": "Bundle",
  "type": "searchset",
  "entry": [
    {
      "resource": {
        "resourceType": "Patient",
        ...
      }
    }
  ]
}

Error (400 Bad Request)

Returns an OperationOutcome if the operation fails:

{
  "resourceType": "OperationOutcome",
  "issue": [
    {
      "severity": "error",
      "code": "invalid",
      "details": {
        "text": "Operation $unknown not supported for Patient"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Available Operations

The available type-level operations depend on server configuration and resource type. Check the capability statement (/fhir/metadata) to see which operations are supported for each resource type:

{
  "rest": [
    {
      "resource": [
        {
          "type": "Patient",
          "operation": [
            {
              "name": "$validate",
              "definition": "http://hl7.org/fhir/OperationDefinition/Resource-validate"
            },
            {
              "name": "$everything",
              "definition": "http://hl7.org/fhir/OperationDefinition/Patient-everything"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Notes

Type operations apply to all resources of the specified type
Available operations vary by resource type
Operations may require specific permissions
Use POST when operations require input parameters
Operation names are case-sensitive and start with $

Overview

Metadata

CRUD Operations

Search

History & Versioning

Batch & Transaction

Operations

Type-Level Operations